Water cooling and treating apparatus



INVENTOR.

A. GUDMUNDSEN Filed.June 22, 1935 WATER COOLING AND TREATING APPARATUSApril 21 ACTlVATED CARBON Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE WATER COOLING A ND TREATING APPARATUS 7 Claims.

The .invention relates generally to water cooling and treatingapparatus.

The object of the invention, generally stated, is to provide watercooling and treating apparatus that is simple and efficient in operationand readily and economically manufactured.

.A more .specific object of the invention is to provide for storingfiltered water under pressure in a pressure filtering system. to providefor drawing off filtered water at any predetermined rate irrespective ofthe rate of filtering.

Another object of the invention is to provide forcontrolling the rate atwhich water in a pressure water treating system is delivered to thefilter to regulate the rate of the filtering process.

It is also .an object of the invention to provide Water cooling andtreating apparatus, the parts of whichmaybe readily removed and replacedto maintain the apparatus in proper operating con- .ditionat all times.

For a .fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference may be had .to the following detailed description .taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in section and partly .in-side elevation, ofwater cooling and treating apparatus constructed in accordance with thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation with portions cut away to showdetailsof thestructure;

Fig. 3 is atop plan viewof the cabinet for housing the treatingapparatus; and

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section and partly in side elevation, of .afitting for mounting the .filter.

Referring now to the drawing, a cabinet shown generally at II! of anypredetermined size 'is provided with twochambers I I and I2. The cabinetmay be made from sheet steel or any other suitable material.

The upper chamber I I is a refrigerant or cooling chamber and is heavilyinsulated as shown at I3. Many diiferent types of insulating materialsare .available for insulating the chamber II. .A material sold to thetrade as Kaypok has been employed with success.

In order to provide for introducing-a refrigerant into the chamber I I,the top of the cabinet is hingedas shown at I4. A lock {5 is provided on'tlre side remote from the hinge l lfor locking the refrigerant chamber.

The size of the refrigerant chamber II will depend on .the volume ofwater that it is required :cool :in a predetermined time. When thecooler is to be utilized in offices or homes where the volume drawn offin a day is not great, the chamber need only be large enough to containa fiftypound block of ice and this will do for several days.

The lower chamber or compartment I2 of the cabinet is not insulatedsince it is provided merely for housing the apparatus for filtering andstoring the filtered water. In order to give access to thechamber I2, aremovable panel I6 is provided. This panel is retained in position bymeans of the hook I! and latch I8.

A filter I9 is mounted in the compartment I2 between a transverse bar20' extending across the bottom of the lower compartment and a hingedbracket 2| mounted on the side of the casing, best shown in .Fig. 1. Arod 22 provided with a wing nut 23 extends between the bar 20 and thebracket 2| and may be utilized for clamping the filter in position.

The filter I9 may be of any suitable construction and in this instancecomprises a cylindrical metal container having fittings 24 mounted onopposite ends. Many different kinds of filtering material may beutilized. The purpose for which the filtered water is to be employedwill to some extent govern the filtering material utilized in making thefilter. When the sterilized Water is to be employed for drinkingpurposes, a filtering material known to the trade as Sterolite has beenfound successful. As illustrated, a layer of Sterolite is used inconjunction with a layer of activated carbon. The layer of Sterolite islocated above the layer of carbon and next the intake of the filter.Sterolite is a zeolite having silver in very finely divided particlesdeposited thereon.

The quantity of water which will flow through a filter and yet beproperly treated will depend on its cross-sectional area. Inconstructing apparatus suitable for home or oifi'ce use where adischarge of five gallons per hour is sufficient, a filter barrel aboutfour inches in diameter and sixteen inches long will suifice.

Since this apparatus is to be utilized in conjunction with pressurewater systems, it will be readily appreciated that provision must bemade for limiting the amount of water delivered to the filter underpressure. In this modification of the invention, in order to limit theflow of Water to the filter, a-pipe 25 of predetermined diameter isconnected between the pressure system and the intake of the filter. Fora filter of the size set forth hereinbefore, a copper pipe aboutone-eighth of an inch inside diameter has been found to be suitable. Apipe of this size so limits the quantity of water that is delivered fromthe ordinary water pressure system that the filter will have sufiicienttime for the treating process.

A pressure reservoir or hell 26 is provided in conjunction with thefilter I9 for storing filtered water. The reservoir is connected to thedischarge end of the filter by a pipe 21. A valve 28 is provided in thispipe for shutting off the fiow of water when desired.

In order to make water-tight connections with the intake and dischargeends of the filter I9, fittings 29 are provided on the pipes 25 and 21which are complementary to the fittings 24 provided on opposite ends ofthe filter barrel. As best shown in Fig. 4, the fitting 24 has anupwardly extending annular flange which extends into an annular grooveprovided in the fitting 29 and seats on a gasket 30.

The fitting provided on the end of the pipe 21 is carried by thetransverse bar 20 and is rigidly mounted. The fitting provided on thepipe 25 is supported by the hinged bracket 2 I. In order to permit theremoval. or insertion of the filter barrel I9, the pipe 25 is providedwith a coil 3| which permits the raising of the upper bracket 2| todisengage the upper fitting 29 from the upper fitting 24 so that thebarrel may be inclined outwardly and removed from the lower fitting 29.

Leading from the lower end of the reservoir 26 is a pipe 32. It extendsupwardly into the insulated chamber I I and is connected to the coolingcoil 33. The cooling coil, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, rests on thebottom of the chamber II and carries the block of ice 34. The coil 33 ispreferably made from some metal such as copper which has great capacityfor conducting heat. The other end of the cooling coil is connectedthrough a pipe 35 to a discharge faucet 36 mounted in the cabinet III.

A pipe 31 which by-passes the cooling chamber II extends from the pipe32 leading from the reservoir 26 to the pipe 35 and is connected to itat its junction with the faucet 36. A valve 38 is connected in the pipe31 for controlling the fiow of filtered water from the reservoir 26 tothe faucet 36. In order to indicate the position the valve 38 stands in,a pointer 39 for operating it is disposed to move over a dial 40 locatedon the front of the cabinet I0. As shown, the dial indicates Cool, Cold,and Ice.

It is well known that in pressure water systems there are continualpressure surges resulting from the drawing off of water at difierentpoints along the line. In order to protect the filter from thesepressure surges, and a possible reversal of direction of flow of waterthrough the filter, a check valve M is provided in the pipe 25. Areversal of the direction of the flow of water in the filter would stirup the filter beds and interfere with the proper filtering and treatingprocesses.

When the filter barrel is being removed, it is necessary to shut off thewater supply, and so a valve 42 is also connected in the pipe 25. Thisvalve 42 is operated in conjunction with the valve 28 in the pipe 21.When these two valves are closed, the filter barrel is completelyisolated from the system.

In order to drain off the ice water, a drain pipe 43 is provided whichextends through the bottom of the insulated chamber I I. Any suitablemeans may be provided for catching the water drained from the chamber IIand in this instance a pail 44 mounted in the apparatus chamber besidethe filter I9 is utilized.

A catch basin 45 is mounted on the front of the cabinet I0 below thefaucet 36 to catch spilled water and to receive the excess that may bedrawn off. A drain pipe 46 leads from the catch basin 45 through thebottom of the insulated chamber I I and discharges into the pail 44.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the reservoir 26 is mounted on the side of thecabinet by means of brackets 41. In order to prevent the'filtered waterfrom flowing directly through this reservoir, the discharge pipe isextended upwardly about two-thirds of the height of the reservoir. Thispermits the filtered water to stand in the reservoir for a period oftime. This is desirable when filters such as Sterolite are employed.

It has been found that water filtered through Sterolite carries with itsome of the germicidal particles or ions and the filtering processcontinues for some. time after the water has left the filter.Consequently, the discharge of the water at a distance from the outletof the reservoir prevents a direct fiow from the filter to the faucetand assures a continuation of the treating process for a period of timeafter the water leaves the filter and before it is used.

In the operation of the system, the valves 28 and 42 are openedpermitting Water to flow through the filter I9 discharging it into thereservoir 26. The air trapped in the reservoir is compressed until itreaches a pressure equal to that of the water.

Assuming now that the chamber II has been filled with ice, the watercooler is ready for use. If the valve 38 stands closed, and the faucet36 is operated, water will fiow from the reservoir 26 through the pipe32, cooling coil 33, pipe 35, and is discharged. As the water fiowsthrough the cooling coil 33, it is reduced to substantially thetemperature of the ice.

If it is desired to draw off water at a higher temperature than that ofthe ice, the dial 39 is set at some other position. The moving of thedial to another position either completely or partially opens the valve38, and if the faucet is again operated, water will flow from thereservoir through two circuits. One circuit will be that tracedhereinbefore through the cooling coil. The other circuit will be fromthe pipe 32 through the pipe 31, valve 38, to join the cooling coilcircuit at the faucet. The water now discharged is a mixture of filteredwater from the water system and filtered and cooled water conveyedthrough the cooling coil circuit.

The water may be drawn off at a greater rate than that at which it isfiltered, since the pressure built up in the reservoir 26 will causewater to flow from it rapidly. The amount of water stored in thereservoir will be enough to take care of immediate demands. After thedemand for water has been supplied at a particular time, the filteringprocess will continue until the reservoir is partly filled again.

Thus it will be seen that a water cooling and treating apparatus hasbeen provided which is very flexible, and which carries on the filteringprocess at the proper rate, irrespective of the periodic demands, thusallowing the treating of the water for a sufficient time.

If the water cooling and treating apparatus is used regularly, it may bedesirable to replace the filter barrel I9 about once a month. This maybe done by the delivery man who brings the ice. To remove the filterbarrel, the wing nut 23 is removed, allowing the bracket 2I to be swungupwardly, releasing the upper end of the barrel in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In water cooling and treating apparatus for use with pressure watersupply systems, in combination, a cabinet having a plurality ofchambers, filter removably mounted in the cabinet, a pipe ofpredetermined cross-sectional area connecting the intake end of thefilter and the supply system, said pipe being coiled to render itflexible, a pressure reservoir, a pipe connecting the pressure reservoirto the discharge end of the filter, complementary fittings mounted onthe end of the filter and pipes for making water-tight joints andfacilitating the mounting and removal of the filter, means fordischarging the filtered water from the reservoir, and cooling coilsassociated with said discharge means to cool a portion or all of thewater discharged.

2. In water cooling and treating apparatus for use with pressure watersupply systems, in combination, a filter for treating the water, a pipeof predetermined cross-sectional area for delivering the water to thefilter at its rated capacity, a check valve connected in the pipe toprotect the filter against pressure surges in the supply systems and toprevent a reversal of the direction of flow of the water through thefilter, a pressure reservoir connected to the filter to store filteredwater, and means for drawing off the filtered water. the reservoircooperating with the filter to supply water at a greater rate to themeans for drawing it off than it is filtered.

3. In Water cooling and treating apparatus for use with pressure watersupply systems, in combination, a cabinet having a plurality ofchambers, means for insulating one of said chambers to adapt it forstoring a refrigerant, a filter mounted in another chamber, a pipe ofpredetermined diameter connected between the supply system and theintake of the filter, a check valve connected in the pipe forcontrolling the direction of flow of water through the filter, apressure storage reservoir for the filtered water connected to thedischarge end of the filter, a cooling coil mounted in the insulatedchamber and connected to the reservoir, a water line by-passing theinsulated chamber and cooling coil connected to the pressure storagereservoir, means for drawing ofif filtered Water, and means associatedwith the drawing off means for effecting the delivery of either cooledor uncooled filtered water or a mixture of them to provide water of apredetermined temperature.

4. In water cooling and treating apparatus for pressure systems incombination, a filter for filtering water at a predetermined rate, meansconnected to the filter and disposed to be connected to a pressure watersystem to control the flow of water, said flow control means beingdesigned relative to the pressure system to deliver the water atsubstantially the capacity rate of the filter to provide for the properfunctioning of the filter, and a pressure reservoir for storing water atthe pressure of the pressure system and for delivering water atsubstantially the pressure of the water system independently of the flowof water through the filter thereby when water is drawn ofi it may bedelivered under pressure at a greater rate than it is filtered.

5. Water cooling and treating apparatus for use with pressure watersystems comprising in combination, a chamber for a refrigerant, coolingcoils in the chamber, a filter for treating the water connected betweenthe water system and the cooling coils, means connected to the filterand disposed to be connected to a pressure water system to control theflow of water, said flow control means being designed relative to thepressure system to deliver the Water at substantially the capacity rateof the filter to provide for the proper functioning of the filter, and apressure reservoir for storing water at the pressure of the pressuresystem and for delivering water at substantially the pressure of thewater system independently of the flow of water through the filterthereby when water is drawn off it may be delivered under pressure at agreater rate than it is filtered.

6. In water cooling and treating apparatus for use with pressure watersupply systems, in combination, a cabinet having a cooling chambertherein, a filter disposed in the cabinet, means for connecting thefilter to a source of pressure Water supply, said connecting means beingadapted to restrict the flow of water to the filter to substantially itsrated capacity, a pressure reservoir connected to the discharge end ofthe filter for storing filtered water under pressure, a heat exchangemeans disposed in the cooling chamber in the cabinet and connected tothe pressure storage reservoir, means for drawing off water underpressure from the pressure reservoir connected to the heat exchangemeans thereby making available water which has been filtered and cooled.

7. In water cooling and treating apparatus for use with pressure watersupply systems, in combination, a cabinet, a filter disposed in thecabinet, means for connecting the filter to a source of water supply,said means being adapted to restrict the flow of water to the filter tosubstantially its rated capacity, a pressure reservoir connected to thedischarge end of the filter for storing water under pressure, means fordrawing off water from the pressure reservoir and discharging it underpressure providing a continuous pressure system from the pressure watersupply system to the drawing off means, and means for cooling the waterassociated with the water drawing ofi means to change the temperature ofthe water.

AUSTIN GUDMUNDSEN.

